Living The Good Life

Going to the grocery store in Guayaquil has turned into quite the weekly adventure. Especially in the produce aisles. Each week, Dave and I try to find one new item that we have never seen before and work it into our diet. We played it pretty safe the first couple weeks, buying packaged items that can only be classified as the greatest junk food ever. Seriously, I'm not sure how I've gone 29 years without these items in my life. Our first discovered treasure are Chifles. These babies are the greatest twist on banana chips ever known. They are actually made from plantains, so instead of being sweet they are savory. I believe they are Ecuador's challenge to the potato chip and challenge they are. If you open a bag, the temptation is greater than Lays. There is no way you are eating just one. Besides, how can you resist the Chifle mascot? That handsome devil who grins at you from every bag, flexing his muscle and giving you the thumbs up sign. It's almost as if he is sayin...

I'll admit it...I've been a little bit homesick the last couple of days. I woke up on Saturday a little bit sad and wishing that I was waking up in well-known Boise instead of tropical Ecuador. Don't get me wrong, I really am loving the experience that is Ecuador and school has been keeping me so busy that the days are speeding by. It is only when things slowed down that I started thinking about home and all the people that we have left there. I think part of my homesickness stems from the fact that Dave and I are trying so hard to adjust to actually living in South America. Daily experiences of life, like ordering food or going to the grocery store, are hurdles that Dave and I are constantly trying to jump over. Tasks that we used to do without a second thought, I now approach with trepidation. We tried to find the milk and eggs the other day, not expecting them to be on the shelf. We need a Spanish/English dictionary every time we cook and I notice that I just say "s...

Dave has started a blog. That's right, my husband has joined the blogging culture so he can document all of his solitary adventures. You know, the ones he is having while I am slaving away at work. Spork is where you can check it out, you are guaranteed to be entertained. Enjoy.

Daily Occurrence: Dave and I look at each other, eyes going wide with astonishment, and whisper, " Can you believe that we are in Ecuador? " We just can't seem to grasp the reality of our lives. The last two weeks have brought experiences and sights to our lives that we never expected to be a part of. It is overwhelming, exhilarating, and sometimes exhausting. Dave and I travelled with a group of teachers this weekend to a small coastal town called Puerto Lopez. We went through many villages along the way where we had to dodge wild pigs, stray dogs, and manage to not be deterred by the two kids holding a rope across the road, creating a make-shift tollbooth. We passed buildings that were falling apart, but still housing a family of ten or more. A lot of poverty, a lot of filth, and a lot of need. When we reached Puerto Lopez, all I saw at first were the stray dogs and the broken up roads. But once we were out of the van and walking through the main street of town, we cam...

Yesterday, a group of us took an Ecuadorian adventure to downtown Guayaquil to walk the Malecon and check out Las Penas, a historical district of Guayaquil. Dave and I, Karly, Sarah, and Mark The day started with a taxi ride, which is better compared to a twenty mile amusement park ride. I can't decide if Ecuadorian drivers are insane or very, very talented. We haven't see a wreck yet, but all the cabs we have been in have run stop lights and stop signs, created their own lanes, and used the horn as the only communication tool to signal turns, lane changes, and speed. I avoid looking out the window for most of the rides...you know, what I can't see can't hurt me. Once we made it into Guayaquil, the cab driver took us to the Malecon 2000. This is a riverfront walkway that the mayor of Guayaquil had renovated in 2000 in order to boost tourism. The Malecon has a beautiful floral park right in the middle of it, historical monuments, and handicraft markets. There is also a ...